AEW Collision 5/22/2025

AEW Collision 5/22/2025

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/05/aew-collision-5172025-beach-break.html

Next week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/06/aew-collision-5312025.html

This aired on Thursday instead of Saturday as AEW didn't want to compete with Saturday Night's Main Event.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring and brings out Adam Cole. Adam Cole comes out and will be doing commentary.

Tony Schiavone then brings out FTR and Stokeley Hathaway for a contract signing. Daniel Garcia, Matt Menard and Nigel McGuinness then come out. Cash says they will give them one more chance to reconsider. Cash says they still love Garcia and see him as a son. Cash says Nigel likes to hide behind commentary and say he's retired then get involved in their business. Cash says Nigle is a shell of his former self.

Garcia says he cares about them but says they are sociopaths. Garcia says they turned their backs on him and he has to stand up for himself. Garcia says they are the greatest tag team but says it won't be a wrestling match but a fight. Garcia says he's coming to fight.

Garcia says he sees the look in Nigel's eyes and it's the same look when he was one of the greatest ROH champs of all time. He says everyone knows Nigel still got it. Nigel says we will find out at DoN. Nigel says he needs FTR's word that FTR won't touch him or Tony Schiavone again.  

Nigel says it'll be top guys out for good if they do.

Dax says he needs to know if this is what Nigel wants to do. Dax says if Nigel signs the contract, it'll be blood on his hands. Dax says maybe they can even be friends after. Dax says this is business and not personal. He grabs Nigel and says he hopes he can be a business man too. Then everyone fights. The faces put FTR in submission holds. Nigel says this ends at DoN.

Toni Sorm does a video. She says Mina always made her feel alive. She says Mina is here to stay says she always thought this journey would end in tragedy. She tells Mina to give her her d@mndest. She says they will say "we lived" when they are giving lap dances to Brutus Beefcake in a retirement home someday.

The Outrunners (Turbo Floyd and Truth Magnum) and Bandido vs The Don Callis Family (Trent Baretta, Konosuke Takeshita and Rocky Romero)

Trent bakcs up Band on the ropes. Band hits chops. Band catches Trent and hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Band holds up Trent in the suplex position then hits partners do the same and they hit triple suplexes. Band tope con hilos out. We go to PiP break and return.

Truth rolls over Rocky's back. Band gets in. Band dropkicks Trent then gorilla presses Rocky into Trent. Band and KT trade. Band top rope tornillos KT. KT blue thunders Band for 2. Band is laid on the top rope then takes a top rope double stomp. The Runners dropkick Rocky and KT.

Band pump kicks Trent then twists Rocky into a knee to the face. KT boots Band from behind and germans him. Band no sells it and superkicks him. Turbo slams all 3 opponents then slams Truth on KT. Band pop-up cutters Trent.

Lance Archer nails Band outside. KT and Trent hit germans. They then each do drivers and Rocky hits a top rope double stomp on the opponents in the drivers. The heels then win.

Thoughts: The selling wasn't that good here but I liked it. It had a lot of action, some cool moves and they kept a fast pace.

We get a video on Gabe Kidd. He talks with The Death Riderds and The Young Bucks. They do their usual spiel without really saying anything.

TBS Title - Mercedes Mone (c) vs Reyna Isis

Rey gets no reaction. They lock up. Mone back rolls her for 2 then hurricanrana's her for 2. Mone rolls her up for 2. Rey then rolls her up for 2. Rey dances at Mone then Mone la mistica crossfaces her.

Mone throws her down backwards and dances. Mone is stuck on the 2nd rope and Rey double knees her. Rey then 2nd rope legdrops her as Mone hangs. Rey flying cross chops her.

Mone knees her in the jaw then flying headscissors her. Mone corner meteora's her. Mone comes off the buckles and takes a codebreaker. Mone backcrackers Rey for 2. Mone then crossfaces her and wins.

Thoughts: It was better than I expected and I ended up liking it. I thought they had decent chemistry together.

Mone refuses to break the hold after. Jamie Hayter comes out then security comes out to stop them from fighting.

Dustin Rhodes does a promo. He says it's been 6 years since the first DoN. Sammy Guevara says they are an undefeated team and have been here since the beginning. Dustin said they earned a tag title shot. Sammy says they are the perfect combination. 

Kyle Fletcher vs Jay Lethal

Harley Cameron does an ad for a drink as Jay comes down to the ring.

Kyle backs up Jay in the corner and back elbows him. Kyle chops him. Jay runs the ropes then struts. Jay hits punches then corner punches on Kyle. Jay hiptosses Kyle and cartwheels into a basement dropkick.

Kyle slams him then stomps on him. Jay works Kyle's leg over the 2nd rope. Jay topes Kyle. They fight outside, Kyle superkicks him out there then hits a hard powerbomb on the apron edge. Kyle stares down Adam Cole.

We go to PiP break and return. Jay hits jabs then backslides him for 2. Jay cradles Kyle for 2. Jay hits leg kicks then dragon screws him. Jay does a figure four and Kyle ropebreaks.

Jay goes for a top rope elbow drop and Kyle gets his knees up. Kyle hits a delayed brainbuster and wins.

Thoughts: It was okay as Jay mostly worked the knee here and Kyle didn't really get a chance to overdo it.

Jay is beaten up on by The Don Callis Family after. Adam Cole gets up and Kyle dares him to come into the ring. Paragon comes out to help and the heels leave.

Adam Cole says The Don Callis Family needs to be taught a lesson and he would be happy to do that.

Paragon (Roderick Strong and Kyle O'Reilly) vs The Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake and Zack Gibson)

Kyle and Drak trade holds and Kyle armbars him. Kyle hits knees to the body. Drake takes a double hiptoss backbreaker then Strong chops and knees him. Strong takes corner attacks and a spinning heel kick.

Strong dropkicks Zack then Zack takes kicks and chops from both opponents. Kyle hits shots on Zack then Drake dropkicks Strong on the apron off of Zack's back. Drake's arm is pulled down over the top then he topes Kyle from behind. We go to PiP break and return.

Kyle knees Zack in the gut. Strong gets in and hits shots on the heels. He then does a half-enlson backbreaker and an olympic slam. Strong hits running forearms on Drake and drops him chest first. Strong is stuck on the 2nd buckle, takes a codebreaker then Drake coast to cost dropkicks him for 2.

The four trade forearms in the ring. Strong takes an enzugiri. Drake takes a knee + spinning forearm then a high/low. Strong then pins Drake and wins.

Thoughts: It was a decent tag as expected. It wasn't their best work or anything but everything we got was fine here. The Vets lost as expected.

Josh Alexander vs AR Fox

Don Callis is on commentary with Adam Cole for this.

Josh waistlock takedowns AR. AR does a cartwheel into a headscissors. AR jumps up and is powerslammed down. Josh chops AR. AR stunners Josh off the bottom rope. AR moonsaults off the post onto Josh outside.

AR takes an exploder off a springboard. Josh hits mounted shots on AR. Josh blocks an enzugiri and ankle locks AR. AR back rolls Josh into cutters and a short cutter. AR then kips down, up and cutters Josh. AR suicide dives Josh outside.

AR rolls him into a move but is german suplexed. Josh powerbombs him then hits a nasty straightjacket piledriver to win.

Thoughts: I was alright with this. They kept it short and AR didn't get to overdo it here. The finish looked nasty with AR's head going into the mat without him using his hands to block it.

Don Callis asks Adam Cole if he's ready for the trios match between their teams at DoN. Don tells Josh to stretch Cole.

Los Depredadores (Volador Jr, Magnus and Rugido) vs Mistico, Templario and Mascara Dorada

Here's a random one. Temp and Rug go at it. They trade forearms. Temp flying shoulders him. Vol gets in, Temp flips over his back then hits kicks on him. Temp goes up and over Mag. Mag flips him then Temp hits a tilt-a-whirl armdrag.

MD and Rug go at it. MD walks up the ropes and flips into an armdrag. MD headscissors Mag out. MD corkscrew headscissors Vol out. Vol's crew teases leaving. Vol offers a Mist a handshake. Mist slaps his hand. Mist handsprings into a dropkick in the back. Mist is then triple stomped as we go to PiP break.

Mist takes corner attacks and a Vol superkick. Temp takes a double elbow drop then a superkick from Vol. MD is swept off the buckles into a Rug basement dropkick. Mist is kicked from behind then double teamed. We return from PiP break. Mist does a double armdrag after being flipped into the ropes. Mist's team does triple topes outside.

Mag and Mist trade forearms. Mist springboard crossbodies him. Mist flying headscissors Mag then is launced into a headscissors on Rug. Mist then headscissors Vol out. Temp does a flying space tiger drop outside.

Mist superkicks Mag then is thrown up and out onto people outside. MD poisonrana's Mag. MD hits a top rope ssp on Mag and wins.

Thoughts: I liked it but it wasn't as good as it could have been. Dorada put out a good effort here. I have no idea why we saw this especially with a PPV this weekend. 

Kris Statlander talks about Willow Nightingale. She mentions the things she did and said Willow may have a point about her. She said she made mistakes but is a dangerous person. She says to be careful who you push as they might push back.

Komander and Mike Bailey vs LFI (Dralistico and Rush)

Dral hits Mike and Kom from behind before it starts. Mike is sent into the rails outside. Kom's head is banged off the commentary table. Mike's is hit in the face with a drink then Rush pushes on the commentary table. Kom is sent into the rails.

Rush chops Mike on the ropes. Kom springboard double dropkicks his opponents. Kom and Mike then do stereo dives. They try another set of dives but the heels move. We go to PiP break and return.

Kom flips off the top and flying headscissors Dral. Kom then springboard dropkicks Rush. Mike hits kicks on Dral then running ssp's him for 2. Dral corkscrew kicks Mike.

Mike and Rush trade forearms and chops. Rush spinning forearms him down. Rush then stomps on Mike in the corner then boots him in the face. Rush then poses. 

Mike triangle moonsaults Dral outside. Kom rope walk corkscrew dives Rush. Mike and Kom do stereo ssp's for 2. Kom springboard canadian destroyers Dral for 2. Rush rebound germans Mike then knees him in the face. Dral 2nd rope angel's wings Kom for 2. Rush goes into the steps when Mike moves. Kom poisonrana's Dral. Mike spinning high kicks Dral then Kom rope walk ssp's Dral. Mike picks up the win.

Thoughts: They did overdo it some but not as much as usual, so I was okay with it. It was all high flying as expected. I don't know why this was the main though.

Kazuchika Okada comes out and stares down with Mike. Mike bows to him and offers a handshake. Okada gives him the finger. Mike kicks the finger away then spin kicks him. Mike then tope con hilos Okada. Mike then takes the title.

Overall thoughts: We got some good matches here but this did nothing to build up the PPV whatsoever with so many matches between people who will not be on the show. The stars were not out at all with Takeshita or Mone probably being the bigger name here. There was just no effort put into this at all and it was all filler. At least most of it was good though. I'll give it a 7 out of 10 for the wrestling but like a 2 out of 10 for trying to get you hyped for the PPV.